Politics is a strong and slow boring of hard boards. It takes both passion and perspective. Certainly all historical experience confirms the truth - that man would not have attained the possible unless time and again he had reached out for the impossible. But to do that a man must be a leader, and not only a leader but a hero as well, in a very sober sense of the word. And even those who are neither leaders nor heroes must arm themselves with that steadfastness of heart which can brave even the crumbling of all hopes. This is necessary right now, or else men will not be able to attain even that which is possible today. Max Weber
About This Quote

Andrés Gómez Dávila was a Peruvian statesman and diplomat who served as the President of Peru from 1881 to 1883. In this quote, he’s talking about the different phases of human existence. In the beginning, we have our dreams and wishes, but as we grow older we must begin considering our limitations and develop a perspective on life. This perspective allows us to see all that is possible for us to achieve.

And, even if we don’t reach those heights, we can still take something from our journey that can benefit us in the future. Take a moment to think about your current position in life and what you can learn from it.

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  2. Politics determines who has the power, not who has the truth. - Paul Krugman
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  4. What people want, mainly, is to be told by some plausible authority that what they are already doing is right. I don't know know of a quicker way to become unpopular than to disagree. - John Brunner
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More Quotes By Max Weber
  1. The intellect, like all cultural values, has created an aristocracy based on the possession of rational culture and independent of all personal ethical qualities of man. The aristocracy of intellect is hence an unbrotherly aristocracy.
  2. Weber, ... argues that... personal bias should not preclude the scientific ascertainment of objective historical facts.
  3. Tolstoi has given the simplest answer, with the words: ‘Science is meaningless because it gives no answer to our question, the only question important for us: "What shall we do and how shall we live?"' That science does not give an answer to this is...
  4. Politics is a strong and slow boring of hard boards. It takes both passion and perspective. Certainly all historical experience confirms the truth - that man would not have attained the possible unless time and again he had reached out for the impossible. But to...
  5. The final result of political action often, no regularly, stands in completely inadequate and often even paradoxical relation to its original meaning.
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